The present invention relates to a device and method for registering prostate images, using a registration element suitable for insertion into a body passageway.
The prostate gland may contain multiple tumors that require taking biopsies of multiple tissue samples to determine, for example, the presence of malignant cells.
During prostate biopsy, an ultrasound probe is inserted into the patient rectum to produce ultrasound images of the prostate. A thin biopsy needle is inserted, for example trans-rectally, and visualized on the ultrasound monitor. The multiple random tissue samples taken with the biopsy needle are sent to a laboratory and analyzed for malignant cells.
To take multiple samples on a non-random basis, nuclear images of the prostate taken from a nuclear imager mounted on a large gantry in close proximity to the surgical field are registered with the ultrasound images.